This invention relates to reproducing the original dental form in light-cured composites and is especially useful in placing posterior light-cured composites and forming the occlusal anatomy thereof. This invention also relates to a method of curing composite under light pressure and eliminating the air inhibited layer of present composites.
Dental practitioners have always attempted to reproduce the dental anatomy as it was before it was affected by disease (caries) or trauma. With chemically-cured dental composites, the dentist had limited working time. This limited the size of restorations that could be placed at one time and allowed little, if any, time for contouring. These restorations then require shaping after the material had sufficiently cured. This shaping and polishing is accomplished with rotary dental burs and finishing strips followed by a polishing paste.
With the advent of light-cured composites, the dental practitioner had much longer working time and therefore could shape the restoration more completely, but due to an air inhibited layer, still found it necessary to do a final shaping and polishing. This final shaping and polishing is even more complex on a posterior occlusal surface with the many grooves and sloping surfaces. This is compounded by the fact that the light-cured posterior composite restoration is similar in color to tooth structure and therefore, the exact finishing line between restorative material and tooth structure is difficult to visualize.
Also, on posterior teeth it has been noted that the proximal contact with composite material is more often deficient than with dental amalgam. This necessitated the checking of posterior contacts if approval was to be granted by the American Dental Association (Revised Guidelines for Submission of Composite Resin Material for Occlosal Class I and Class II Restorations).
Therefore, it is the objective of this invention to reproduce the original anatomy of the tooth being repaired with composite and at the same time, eliminate the air inhibited layer and allow for the composite to be cured under slight pressure which will reduce voids at the margin of the cavity preparation and help in establishing proximal contact of the final restoration.